The Bee
Regulation Excerpts
from The Animal Health Act, The Bee Regulation
These are only excerpts taken from the Animal Health Act/Bee Regulation to remind you of some important sections for which may be relevant as the Bee Season re-commences More complete information at;
http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/3_2015
Excerpts concerning:
I-Registration
II-Apiary Identification
III-Transport of Bees or Equipment Within BC
IV-Sales of Bees or Equipment
V-Keeping Bees
VI-Reportable and Notifiable Diseases
I-Registration
Part 2 — Registration
Beekeeping is regulated activity that must be registered
2 (1) The following are prescribed as regulated activities for the purposes of the Act:
(a) the keeping of an apiary;
(b) the ownership, transport or possession of bees or used beehive equipment.
(2) A person must not engage in beekeeping unless
(a) the person
(i) is registered as a beekeeper under section 12 of the Act, and
(ii) engages in beekeeping only in relation to an apiary that is registered under the Act to the person, or
(b) the person is
(i) an employee, within the meaning of section 10 of the Act, of a beekeeper, or
(ii) an association acting in accordance with a permit referred to in section 6 (1) [imported bees or equipment].
(3) A person must not permit beekeeping on land the person owns or controls except
(a) by a person described in subsection (2) (a) (i) or (b) (i), and
(b) in relation to an apiary that the person reasonably believes to be registered under the Act.
Registration
3 (1) Both of the following must be registered together on an application for registration, including an application to renew a registration, made under section 12 (1) of the Act:
(a) the person who will engage in beekeeping;
(b) each apiary in relation to which the person will engage in beekeeping.
(2) A beekeeper must promptly notify the chief veterinarian, in writing, of any change to the contact information of the beekeeper as listed on the application for registration.
(3) If the chief veterinarian grants a registration,
(a) the chief veterinarian must issue to the beekeeper
(i) a producer number identifying the beekeeper, and
(ii) a unique number identifying each apiary registered to the beekeeper, and
(b) the term of the registration begins on the date the chief veterinarian issues the beekeeper’s producer number.
(4) A beekeeper may register additional apiaries during the term of a registration by submitting an application for registration of the additional apiaries under the beekeeper’s producer number.
(5) The registration of a beekeeper and all apiaries registered during the term of the registration expires
(a) 2 years after the date that the term of the registration begins, unless renewed before that date, or
(b) on an earlier date, if any, set by the chief veterinarian on issuing the beekeeper’s producer number.
Part 3 — Beekeeping
5 A beekeeper must post all of the following at a conspicuous location at an apiary in relation to which the beekeeper engages in beekeeping:
(a) the beekeeper’s name;
(b) the beekeeper’s contact information;
(c) the beekeeper’s producer number.
III-Transport of bees or equipment in BC
7 (1) A person must not transport bees or used beehive equipment between bee districts except as follows:
(a) if transported from or into a quarantine zone, in accordance with all applicable quarantine zone orders issued under section 27 of the Act;
(b) if paragraph (a) does not apply, in accordance with a permit issued under section 8 [permit to transport or possess].
(2) Despite subsection (1) (b), a permit is not required for the transport of bees or used beehive equipment if
(a) the destination of the bees or used beehive equipment is outside British Columbia, and
(b) the transport of the bees or used beehive equipment through any bee district is transitory in nature.
IV-Sales of bees or equipment
9 (1) A person must not transfer the person’s interest in bees or used beehive equipment without first obtaining a permit under section 11 (1) of the Act.
(2) The chief veterinarian may issue a permit authorizing a person to transfer the person’s interest in bees or used beehive equipment if satisfied that the bees or used beehive equipment are free of disease.
(3) No fee is payable for the purpose of an application for a permit under this section.
(4) A permit issued under this section
(a) is authority for the person named on the permit to transfer the person’s interest in bees or used beehive equipment, and
(b) expires
(i) 30 days after the permit is issued by the chief veterinarian, or
(ii) on an earlier date, if any, set by the chief veterinarian on issuing the permit.
(5) A person who transfers the person’s interest in bees or used beehive equipment to another person must keep records of the following:
(a) the name and contact information of the person who received the bees or used beehive equipment;
(b) the number of bee colonies, nucleus colonies and packages of bees transferred, or a description of the used beehive equipment, as applicable.
(6) A person must ensure that all records that must be kept under this section are kept
(a) in the form and manner required by the chief veterinarian, and
(b) for a period of at least 5 years.
V-Keeping bees
10 (1) A beekeeper must ensure that bees in the beekeeper’s apiary
(a) are kept only in hives having removable frames or removable combs, and
(b) do not have access to beekeeping equipment, honey or cappings, other than when bees are in a hive.
(2) A person must not feed bees by leaving food exposed or by any other method that is reasonably likely to cause robbing behaviours.
VI-Reportable and Notifiable Diseases
Appendix 1
Reportable Diseases
(section 2 (1))
Bee diseases
1 (1) Infestations of the following are prescribed as reportable diseases in respect of bees:
(a) Aethina tumida [Small hive beetle];
(b) Apis cerana [Eastern honey bee or Asian honey bee];
(c) Apis mellifera capensis [Cape bee];
(d) Apis mellifera scutellata [African honey bee];
(e) Apis vilutina [Asian predatory wasp];
(f) Tropilaelaps clareae [Asian bee mites];
(g) Vespa mandarinia [Asian giant hornet].
(2) Illness in bees caused by American foulbrood is prescribed as a reportable disease.
Appendix 2
Notifiable Diseases
(section 2 (2))
Bee diseases
1 (1) Infestations of the following are prescribed as notifiable diseases in respect of bees:
(a) Acarine disease [tracheal mite infestation];
(b) Achroia grisella [Lesser wax moth];
(c) Galleria mellonella [Greater wax moth];
(d) Varroa mite.
(2) Illness in bees caused by any of the following are prescribed as notifiable diseases:
(a) Acute bee paralysis virus;
(b) Black queen cell virus;
(c) Chalkbrood;
(d) Deformed wing virus;
(e) European foulbrood;
(f) Israel acute paralysis virus;
(g) Kashmir bee virus;
(h) Nosema disease;
(i) Sacbrood disease virus;
(j) Varroa destructor virus.